Ginny took a breath, letting the fact that Tom was real process through her mind. Not only is he real.. But he's standing right in front of me. A living, breathing depiction of my first year fantasies. He murmured something indistinctive, and Ginny took a tentative step forward. After she realized that she wasn't going to be harmed, she took another step, and another, until finally she had reached Tom's arms.

"Ginny, you've no idea how much pain I've been through just to be here.. Getting this body wasn't easy." Ginny nodded into his chest, her mind reeling. She had been nearly a child, the last time she had had contact with Tom. He seemed different, now, than he had been in his writings. Almost more.. open and emotional. No, that's silly. This is Voldemort, Ginny. He might have the appearance of Tom, but you have to remember that he's Voldemort. He's killed thousands of people; remember Harry's family.. and Mum's family. Aunt Ruth, who used to bring me Chocolate Frogs.. He killed them. Mercilessly, without a thought.

Ginny heard a hiss come from behind her, and turned her head slowly, eyeing the gigantic snake who had slithered soundlessly into the room. Tom merely smiled at the serpent, releasing his hold on Ginny and stepping towards it. He simply said, "Nagini.." over his shoulder, then started speaking parseltongue. She could see Tom's mouth twisting into a frown, and after a few more moments of hissing at each other, the snake disappeared. Tom turned to Ginny (who had been shivering every since he had started talking to the sna.. Nagini) and grabbed her arm, shoving Harry out of the room.

"What.. what.." Then she heard it. Loud bangs on the door, and shouts.. "Draco!" Tom snarled at the name, pulling her towards him.

"They've found us. I'm taking you away, before that Malfoy can defile you again.." Defile me? Draco and I haven't done anything wrong.. I don't think.. And then they disapparated.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Now, Ginny realized with a shiver, they were in the graveyard, where Harry said that he had gone in his fourth year. You couldn't mistake the large tombstone, with the name of Tom's father scrawled across it. Tom didn't seemed disturbed by it, and instead brushed a lock of hair away from Ginny's face, smiling slightly. Ginny shuddered, looking away from him and towards the tombstones and gravestones that surrounded her. She spotted a mausoleum a few metres off, wishing that she didn't have to be here.. In Tom's arms, surrounded by the decayed bones of the dead. It was dark, darker here than it had ever been in London.

Tom's eyes were making Ginny's skin tingle. They couldn't compare to the stares she had felt from Draco, boring into to back of her head like an infatuated flame. Yet, the thing (she couldn't rightfully be sure he was human) in front of her was not Draco, and his canvassing eyes seemed to look into every corner of herself, even things she had not yet seen. She was uneasy, and wishing desperately that she had her wand with her. There was a suffocating insanity, a blanket of dark magic, that surrounded the necropolis, conveying thoughts of terror and helplessness to Ginny. She realized that Tom was waiting for something, and soon his patience grew thin. He pushed Ginny off to the side, spitting out a command in parseltongue. Immediately, Nagini appeared, her tongue flitting quietly to and fro like a blade of grass.

Tom whispered to the snake, who nodded imperceptibly and disappeared into the dying grass. Tom turned back to Ginny, the smile returning to his shadowed features. He drew out a wand, presumably his, from out of his back pocket, still smiling serenely. He whispered, "Attirus" (ooc:made-up spell), and there was a short, rosey flash, followed by a warm breeze. Once the breeze died down, Ginny looked down, not recognizing the fabric that was swirling about her ankles. She was startled to find that Tom had changed what she was wearing, and now had on a simple, floor-length black dress with a green (Slytherin colors.. how very Slytherin) cloak. The hood was up, although she could perfectly see Tom's satisfied grin. So now she was going to be a dress-up doll, as well.

I'm his doll, his soon to be wife, and most likely his servant, as well. I need to find a way out of here. If only I had Draco. But she didn't have Draco. She would need to get out of this herself. Ginny squared her shoulders, setting her mind to the difficult task of escaping Voldemort. She knew that, at the moment, it would be useless trying to run, seeing as she would more than likely trip and fall over her long dress. So when.. When!? When can I be alone? Away from all of these abusive boyfriends, all of these evil fiancés? Ginny needed to sit down, have a cup of her mum's flavourful tea, and meditate. That couldn't be possible right at the moment, seeing as she was far from home and-

CRACK. It was loud, as if many people had Apparated at the same time. And they had. Ginny hadn't noticed Wormtail's appearance, and Tom had activated the Dark Mark on his arm, summoning all of the Death Eaters. She immediately looked at the ground, the shadowed faces bringing back many horrible memories. She felt Tom brush against her arm and stride past, walking towards the assembled Death Eaters. He looked every inch of the Dark Lord that he was; tall, dark, quivering with dreadful magic. And to think, she had some hold over this nightmarish creation, Voldemort's newest body.

Finally, Ginny's curiosity took hold of her, and she raised her head to stare into the dark faces under the hoods. She noticed that the group was small, or smaller than she had expected. One, two, three.. she counted only ten. Ten Death Eaters. Ten Death Eaters, against thousands of aurors, hundreds of nations.. In fact, if what her father had let slip about the Ministry was true, a third of these Death Eaters were actually in disguise. So why does Tom..Voldemort, seem so confident? Surely he's got to know about his obvious looming defeat.

"Many amoung you have betrayed me. You ran to the Ministry when you thought that I had been defeated. You have no faith." Tom strode between the now quivering Death Eaters, his eyes smouldering darkly. One of the Death Eaters shifted noiselessly, yet the movement drew To..Voldemort towards the Death Eater. He advanced on him calmly, lifting his wand into the shaking figure's face.

"Lucius Malfoy. You, one of my most prominent followers… You, you have betrayed me most of all. Your boy, Draco… bring him to me, or I will kill you both." The hooded man-Lucius, nodded vehemently, balling his hands into fists and releasing them rapidly. Tom stalked through the Death Eaters for a few more moments, making threats on random hooded people and barely raising his voice above a whisper. Then, quickly, he turned away, walking to Ginny's side.

"I have finally chosen for myself a queen. You will all be present at the Joining. Two months, unfaithful Death Eaters.." he looked pointedly at Lucius. "You have two months." Then he waved his wand dismissively, taking Ginny's arm and leading her towards a small hut she hadn't noticed until now.

Now I'll be kept under constant watch.. waiting until.. the Joining? It sounds more like a sexual ritual than a marriage.. Ginny shivered. Could she expect any less from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Tom noticed the shiver, and his smile disappeared into a worried frown.

"Are you alright? The magic is strong here, maybe it is overpowering?" Ginny nodded soundlessly. It seemed as if one it were to be one more wifely duty - silent and resigned.

"You will grow accustomed to it. After the Joining, you will be much more powerful than you have ever been." He gave her a smile, then let go of her arm, stepping inside the house. He made a sign for her to wait outside, so she folded her hands in front of her, waiting rather restlessly.

Then a smooth hand grabbed her, pulling her towards an unfamiliar body and gagging her screams with another pale hand.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

Well, there you are.

I apologize that it took so long.

I've had mid-year exams to worry about.